In order to translate installations in actual space to the virtual world, we have to have a solid understanding of both the actual and virtual. In other words, creating a piece of artwork from scratch with your hands is completely different from creating a piece from scratch on the computer, both come with hard challenges and require dedication. The definition of an installation was first described to be for “in-door” pieces while artists throughout time have changed this acceptance to be all around in-door and out-door. Creating a piece of art and then re-creating that same piece into the virtual would have extreme benefits in terms of transportation. For one, artists would be able to bring/share their artwork all around the world with just a quarter of the labor to ship a piece for installation from exhibit to exhibit. Another thing to add on to this is the difference of site-specific art being accessible at your disposal. Many times site-specific pieces can only be exhibited to those who can’t travel to the site by photography, and many times it is in no way the same as the experience. A virtual installation space such as unity would allow everyone to experience the exhibit in its entirety.
Furthermore, creating a virtual installation space would allow the artwork to be timeless. Many pieces of art throughout history such as sculptures and physical pieces have a lifespan, due to the materials of its creation. In a virtual space artists wouldn’t have to worry about issues as such and the piece can live on forever, in the way that it was meant to be seen by the artists. However, I do also believe sometimes the aging of art creates a different beauty to a piece, and without natural wearing down of a piece, it takes away from its exclusivity, what holds more value ? Is it a timeless piece, or one with a lifespan ? These questions are crucial to the future of art installations, weather they are in real-life or the virtual.
